General data

ISOC.NL is the Dutch chapter of ISOC. ISOC was founded in 1992 by the people who invented and built the Internet "to assure the open development, evolution and use of the Internet for the benefit of all people throughout the world." Internet Society maintains the standards and protocols the Internet runs on. ISOC works on facilitating a progressively better cooperation of Internet professionals, organisations, governments, universities and companies towards a better Internet, and to further extend the use of the Internet for society. The Dutch branch, ISOC.NL, was founded in 1997, and is with its 800 members and over 4,000 interested readers amongst the largest and most active of its kind in the world.

ISOC.NL is actively involved in achieving and promoting Internet standards, researching the use of the Internet and related technologies in democratic and governmental processes and keeping the discussion within and around the Internet community alive.

Main areas of activity

• standards and protocols, interoperability
• stability, security
• innovation
• master classes
• lectures
• conferences
• awards for best practices

Brief description of activities in the field of Open Standards & Free Software

The working group on FLOSS (Free Libre Open Source Software) has been among the most active and successful parts of ISOC.NL, actively engaging both industry and government in the dialog on Open Standards and Free Software. It has been a focal point for the Dutch Free Software community and bundles the key players in the Open Source community for its activities. Seminars, workshops and conferences are organised to bring together these key players to coordinate collaboration towards the adoption of Free Software and Open Standards in the Netherlands. Furthermore, the FLOSS work group works together with the Dutch Ministry of Interior in order to define the national strategy for the future desktop for all civil servants in the Netherlands. Besides, it has recently promoted a petition to Dutch parliament for the adoption of Open Standards and Free Software with the support of many companies, researchers and non-profit organisations.

International Networks and Collaborations

ISOC.NL is the Dutch chapter of the global Internet Society, which has local – but independent - chapters in more than 170 countries. In Europe the chapters collaborate within the virtual chapter, ISOC-ECC. ISOC.NL collaborates with W3C Benelux for dissemination activities on web technologies, and with Gridforum.nl on grid technology – bringing the international top experts to the Netherlands for masterclasses, conferences and other activities.

Indicators of Quality and Reputation

ISOC.NL has a broad base of members from academia, industry, government, the legal community and from society at large. It organises itself in working groups and expert groups based on shared interest, such as e-government, privacy, security, mobile Internet and Free Software. ISOC.NL is supported by the main technology companies in the Netherlands, like CapGemini, Sun Microsystems, Compaq, LogicaCMG, Lucent Technologies, Cisco Systems, Ericsson, not-for profit organisations and research institutes like Nikhef, SURFnet, UUNet, the Royal Dutch Library and by several municipalities.

ISOC.NL has a board with leading Internet figures broadly recognised for their vision and expertise. It has a national board of trustees with captains of industry, university professors, and a member of the Eerste Kamer (equivalent to The House of Lords) to ensure both quality and direct links to all sectors of society. The broad and high level connections of the ISOC.NL will benefit the realisation of a project such as SELF.